Gun Control DBQ Essay

A logical assertion can, and is, made that certain background checks are desirable in order to decrease the amount of deaths caused by guns. However, we need to understand the effectiveness of these checks, that many who want a gun will go to any means to acquire one. In a study conducted by Daniel W. Webster and Jon S. Vernick of John Hopkins University, over 80 percent of criminals evaluated were not lawful retail purchasers of firearms – as most acquired their weapons from sources such as family members and street sources (Source 1). Additionally, we need to understand that certain firearms illegal in certain states are brought in from other states in which they are legal. Both observations show that while increased background checks and illegalizing specific weapons do have an effect, they may only slow those who will do anything to have powerful armaments. A popular view held by gun-control advocates is that withholding guns from the public will eradicate the multitude of deaths involving people who would not be commonly called “criminals”. Instances such as when a man shot and killed a man in a theater for not turning his phone off, or when a middle school boy shot two fellow student with a shotgun stored in his instrument case (Source …show more content…
Various factors play into decreasing gun deaths in America every year. The most vital aspects of gun control involves freedom, ultimately. America was founded on freedom, and infringing on that violates what we believe in collectively. Every day, new data and information is collected, whether it involves evidence from other countries, psychological factors from mass shooters, the media’s effect on mass shootings, background checks, spontaneous shootings, self-defense, gun-free zones, and the constitutional values of gun control. Any claims made should be in the best interest for the sake of saving lives, and for the sake of maintaining the quality of freedom in this fine